Accelerator pedal rest



Sept. 11, 1951 2,567,529

C. H. SCHETZER ACCELERATOR PEDAL REST Filed March 31, 1950 INVENTOR. BQeA/QMSHSCHETZEA Patented Sept. 11,i 1951 Unirse STATES rA'frENT ottica 'r 2,567,529 AGGELERMOR PEDAL REST Y ohar 1e s ..1 1.fshetzer, setmana; Kans.

Application vlllarchY 31, 1950,- Ser'ial'No. 153,129

` `This invention. relatiesv .tov a .restufor y the accelerator 'foo-t `of an automobile driver. On long drives, and especially in. trucking, it is vnecessary vto Vmaintain a continuous vspeed `for long periods. Thisconstant holding of Vthe accelerator with the toeis exceedingly tiresome. on the 4:toot .and leg muscles of the driver. i The principal object yof this. inventionis to provide means for.supporting the driver-s foot., which .willallow the .foot tobe shifted, so-that the. heel of the foot .may beused to. depress the acceleratorpedal so as to relieve the muscular strain on theleg muscles.` A .further object is. to so construct the device that its position may ,be changed and adjusted from the instrument board of the Vehicle, to obtain the most restful and eiicient driving position.`

A further object is to provide mounting means for the foot rest, which .would be adaptable to cars and trucks of various makes and design.

Other objects and advantages reside in the .detail construction of the invention, which is designed for simplicity, economy, and eliiciency. These will become more apparent from the following description.

In the following detailed description of the invention, referenceis had to the accompanying drawing which forms apart. hereof. Like numerals referto like parts in all views of the drawing and throughout the description.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a top view of the improved accelerator pedal foot rest in place on an automotive vehicle;

Fig. 2 is a cross section taken on the line 2-2, Fig. 1, showing side view of the improved rest; and

Fig. 3 is a detail section taken on the line 3-3, Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective View illustrating an alternate means for mounting the improved foot rest.

In the drawing various parts of an automotive vehicle are designated by numerals as follows: Motor wall I0, floor boards I2, accelerator pedal I3, and instrument board I4.

The improved foot rest comprises a foot rest rod I5, extending between two slotted links I6, supported from angle brackets I'I. The foot rest rod I5 carries a rectangular rubber cushion I8 and a channel member I9. The channel member I8 is provided with ears 3l through which the rod I5 passes. .The rod I5 is threaded to receive a wing nut 20, which acts to clamp the ears 3T; the links I6 and the cushion I8 in place on the rod I5.

' 3 claims. (o1. 724-564) lli.

`The links I6 are atta'ched'to the angle. brackets I'I kthrough the medium pf a threaded rod-21|, which v'extends through vthe links I6 and lthrough the brackets 4Il at its extrem-ities. The linka-I5 .and the bracket I'I, VVat each extremity o f the rod 25|, are clamped together by means of clamp nuts'22. Y

The angle brackets I `I are secured to the motor wall I0 by means'of suitableclamp bolts 23 and 24;. provided with clamping `nuts -25'and clamping washers 26. In most automotive vehicles. the Amotor wall I0 bulges rearwardly at its middle: over the ily wheel housing ofthe motor. To: accommodate this, thev belt 24 is made longer' than the bolt 23 so that the former willfsupport. its bracket I'IV rearwardly from the wall III, as;

vshown in Fig. 1.

vIt will be noted that the ang-le brackets IJ arel slotted throughoutkftheir lengths, asrshown at' 21,` -to allow the positions of the bolts -23 and 2 4 andthe position of the threaded rod 22| to .be

.varied for adjustment purposes. It will also be .noted that` the links I3 are slotted, .as shownat below the pedal. The ball of .the ffootrests against the heel rest 29 when driving with the toe, as shown in broken line in Fig. 2, and the heel of the drivers shoe is rested on the heel rest 29, with the ball o-f the foot resting on the cushion I8, when driving with the heel of the foot.

It is essential that the rubber cushion I8 be positioned at exactly the proper position and at the proper angle beneath the ball of the foot in order to relieve all muscular strain. An adjustment is provided to accurately ascertain and maintain proper position, operable from a rotatable adjusting nob 32 mounted below the instrument board I4. A flexible shaft 33 extends from the nob 32 to an adjusting screw 34. The adjusting screw 34 is threaded through a nut block 35, which is slidably mounted on the threaded rod 2|. The screw 34 terminates in a round enlarged head 36, which is longitudinally movable in the channel member I9.

It can be readily seen that if the nob 32 isV rotated in one direction, it will rotate the screw 34 so as to force the cushion I8 rearwardly and w when rotated in the other direction it will rotate accuse wm aise be noted that the block 35 can be adjusted lengthwise of the threaded rod 2l so as to force either desired extremity of the cushion I8 forward or rearward to provide an angular adjustment to align the cushion I8 with the sole of the drivers shoe. After the longitudinal adjustment is made, the block 35 can be locked in position on the rod 2| by means of lock nuts 38 and af-ter the most satisfactory position has been found the wing nut 20V canV be tightened to hold the rod l5 in its nal adjustment.

In Fig. 4, an alternate means of adjusting and holding the foot rest is illustrated. In this means, the foot rest rod I and the cushion I8 are secured between the extremities of two lever links 38 which are hinged at their other extremities upon hinge bolts 44 which travel in slots 48 in a pair of link brackets 4 I. 'Ihe link brackets 4I are secured to the angle brackets II as in the preceding form and are notched, as shown at 42, along their upper edges. The lever links are provided with perforated ilange members 43 adapted to be received in the notches 42. Thus, the cushion member can be lifted to release the ilange members 43 from the notches 42, as shown in Fig. 4, and can then be shifted forward and back until the desired position is reached. The device can then be locked in position by simply folding the flange members 43 back into the notches 42.

While a specic form of the improvement has been described and illustrated herein, it is to be understood that the same may be varied, within the scope of the appended claimsI without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desiredsecured by Letters Patent is:

l. A foot rest for the accelerator pedals of automotive vehicles comprising: a supporting structure; means adaptedV for mounting said structure above an accelerator pedal; a foot rest rod movably supported by said structure; a U- shaped frame secured at its two extremities to the two extremities of said rod; a rotatable adjusting screw extending from said U-shaped frame; a nut member threaded on said screw; means Asupporting said nut member from said A2. A foot rest for the accelerator pedals of automotive vehicles comprising: a supporting structure; means adapted for mounting said structure above an accelerator pedal; afoot rest rod movably supported by said structure; a. U-shaped frame secured at itstwo extremities to the two extremities of said rod; a rotatable adjusting screw extending from said U-shaped frame; movable mounting means mounting said screw on said U-shaped frame so that it may be moved lparallel to the axis of said rod; a threaded rod supported by said supporting structure and extending parallel to said axis; a nut member mounted on said threaded rod so as to be movable therealong, said screw being threaded through said nut member at right angles to said rods; and means for rotating said screw to cause said foot rest rod to move toward and away from said accelerator pedal.

' 3. A foot rest for automotive vehicles comprising: two angle brackets; means for securing said brackets to saidV vehicle; a slotted link member extending from each bracket; an elongated'foot rest member positioned between said links; a foot rest rod extending between said links and through said rest member; a channel member extending between said links parallel to said foot krest rod; an ear formed upon each extremity of said channel member, each of said ears being connected to said rod between said rest member and` one of said links; a threaded rod extending between said links parallel to said rest rod; a nut block threaded on said threaded rod; a screw slidably mounted in said channel member and projecting therefrom and being threaded through said nut block at right angles to said threaded shaft; means for rotating said screw to raise and lower said rest rod in said slotted links; and means on said rest rod clamping the latter in any desired position in said links. I

CHARLES H. SCHETZER.'

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Preussler June 2, 1942 

